Frank Wilczek

Information about Frank Wilczek

Frank Wilczek

BornMay 15 1951 (1951--) (age 56)
Mineola, New York, U.S.
ResidenceUnited States
Nationality United States
FieldPhysicist
InstitutionsMIT
Alma materUniversity of Chicago
Princeton University
Academic advisor  David Gross
Notable students  Stephen Wandzura
David Kessler
Richard MacKenzie
Alfred Shapere
David Robertson
Finn Larsen
Maulik Parikh
Michael Forbes
Sean Robinson
Known forQuantum chromodynamics
Notable prizes Nobel Prize in Physics (2004)
Frank Wilczek (born May 15, 1951) is a Nobel prize-winning American theoretical physicist. Along with H. David Politzer and David Gross, he was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics "for the discovery of asymptotic freedom in the theory of the strong interaction". He is member of the World Knowledge Dialogue Scientific Board.

Life

Born in Mineola, New York, of Polish and Italian origin, Wilczek was educated in the public schools of Queens, attending Martin Van Buren High School. He received his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics at the University of Chicago in 1970, a Master of Arts in Mathematics at Princeton University, 1972, and a Ph.D. in Physics at Princeton University in 1974. Frank Wilczek holds the Herman Feshbach Professorship of Physics at MIT Center for Theoretical Physics. He worked at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics in Santa Barbara. He was awarded the Lorentz Medal in 2002.

He married Betsy Devine on July 3, 1973; they have two children, Amity (b. 1974) and Mira (b.1982).

Research

In 1973 Wilczek, a graduate student working with David Gross at Princeton University, discovered asymptotic freedom, which holds that the closer quarks are to each other, the less the strong interaction (or color charge) between them; when quarks are in extreme proximity, the nuclear force between them is so weak that they behave almost as free particles. The theory--independently discovered by H. David Politzer--was important for the development of quantum chromodynamics.

Wilczek has helped to reveal and develop axions, anyons, asymptotic freedom, the color superconducting phases of quark matter, and other aspects of quantum field theory. He has worked on an unusually wide range of topics, ranging across condensed matter physics, astrophysics, and particle physics.

His current research includes:

Selected publications

Books

  • Fractional Statistics and Anyon Superconductivity, December 1990
  • Geometric Phases in Physics, December 1988
  • Longing for the Harmonies: Themes and Variations in Modern Physics, April 1989 (with Betsy Devine)
  • Fantastic Realities: 49 Mind Journeys And a Trip to Stockholm, March 2006
  • La musica del vuoto. 2007, Roma, Di Renzo Editore

See also

References

External links

 •  • [ e]
Nobel Prize in Physics Laureates


Persondata
NAMEWilczek, Frank
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTIONPhysicist
DATE OF BIRTHMay 15, 1951
PLACE OF BIRTHMineola, New York, U.S.
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
May 15 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull ad exstirpanda

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19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1920s  1930s  1940s  - 1950s -  1960s  1970s  1980s
1948 1949 1950 - 1951 - 1952 1953 1954

Year 1951 (MCMLI
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Mineola, New York

Seal
Motto:
Coordinates:
Country United States
State New York
County Nassau
Area
 - Village  1.9 sq mi (4.
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State of New York

Flag of New York Seal
Nickname(s): The Empire State
Motto(s): Excelsior!

Official language(s) None

Capital Albany
Largest city New York City

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Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
..... Click the link for more information.
Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
..... Click the link for more information.
physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena spanning all length scales: from the sub-atomic particles from which all ordinary matter is made (particle physics) to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private, coeducational research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing 32 academic departments,[3]
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The University of Chicago is a private university located principally in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. Founded in 1890 by the American Baptist Education Society and the oil magnate John D. Rockefeller, the University of Chicago held its first classes on October 1, 1892.
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Princeton University is a private coeducational research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. It is one of eight universities that belong to the Ivy League.
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David J. Gross

David Jonathan Gross
Born January 19 1941 (1941--) (age 66)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
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Quantum chromodynamics (abbreviated as QCD) is the theory of the strong interaction (color force), a fundamental force describing the interactions of the quarks and gluons found in hadrons (such as the proton, neutron or pion).
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Nobel Prize in Physics (Swedish: Nobelpriset i fysik) is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the six Nobel Prizes. The first prize was awarded in 1901.
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May 15 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the papal bull ad exstirpanda

..... Click the link for more information.
19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1920s  1930s  1940s  - 1950s -  1960s  1970s  1980s
1948 1949 1950 - 1951 - 1952 1953 1954

Year 1951 (MCMLI
..... Click the link for more information.
Nobel Prize in Physics (Swedish: Nobelpriset i fysik) is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the six Nobel Prizes. The first prize was awarded in 1901.
..... Click the link for more information.
Motto
"In God We Trust"   (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum"   ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
..... Click the link for more information.
Theoretical physics employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics, as opposed to experimental processes, in an attempt to understand nature. Its central core is mathematical physics 1, though other conceptual techniques are also used.
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H. David Politzer

David Politzer, seated second from the left, as Manhattan Project physicist Robert Serber, in the 1989 film Fat Man and Little Boy.
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David J. Gross

David Jonathan Gross
Born January 19 1941 (1941--) (age 66)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
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20th century - 21st century - 22nd century
1970s  1980s  1990s  - 2000s -  2010s  2020s  2030s
2001 2002 2003 - 2004 - 2005 2006 2007

2004 by topic:
News by month
Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun
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Nobel Prize in Physics (Swedish: Nobelpriset i fysik) is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the six Nobel Prizes. The first prize was awarded in 1901.
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In physics, asymptotic freedom is the property of some gauge theories in which the interaction between the particles, such as quarks, becomes arbitrarily weak at ever shorter distances, i.e.
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The strong interaction or strong force is today understood to represent the interactions between quarks and gluons as detailed by the theory of quantum chromodynamics (QCD).
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Mineola, New York

Seal
Motto:
Coordinates:
Country United States
State New York
County Nassau
Area
 - Village  1.9 sq mi (4.
..... Click the link for more information.
State of New York

Flag of New York Seal
Nickname(s): The Empire State
Motto(s): Excelsior!

Official language(s) None

Capital Albany
Largest city New York City

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The introduction to this article may be too long. Please help improve the introduction by moving some material from it into the body of the article according to the suggestions at Wikipedia's .
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Martin Van Buren High School is a public high school in Queens Village, New York City. Named for 8th U.S. President Martin Van Buren, the school opened in 1955. The school is operated by the New York City Department of Education.
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Bachelor of Science (B.S., B.Sc. or less commonly, S.B. or Sc.B. from the Latin Scientiæ Baccalaureus) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years (see below).
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